Improvement



* A. HUMBERGERQ Corn Harvester.

"No. 27,720. Patented April 3,1860.

stalks-are also caught ,by'thd UNITED STATES ADA M HUMBERGER,

PATENT OFFICE,

or somnasnr, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN CORN-HARVESTERS.

To all whom it'mazl concern Be it known that I, ADAM HUMBERGER, of

Somerset, in the county of Perry and Stateof Ohio, have; invented a new'and useful Im;

provement in Corn-Harvesters and 'I' do here- Myinventionconsistsin an improved ar- 7 ran geinent of the platform or drop for shocking theacorn, and in the arrangementofthe knives .orcntrers, springguard, and, clam p for controlling we stalks, with a knife to prevent choking'the machine. g My machine is intended for cutting and shocking corn at a single operation: it is supported. on. four wheels, A'a-nd B, running like a" common wagon, and-drawn by a horse attached to shafts O, which [in the drawings are sen. broken away. l I The horse travels-between tworows of corn,'drawing the machine so that the cora stalks willcom'e between the shat't'fi and'the guard D. As the machine advances the low er-part of the stalks are caught between the fingers Gr. Atthis moment the tops of the reel-arms .E, which revolve by means of-suitablegearing connected with the. forward axle, as seen "in Figs, 1 and 2. In like manner the knives F also revolve, sweeping across the fingers G, and thus cutting oft'the stalks of corn, These fingers and the forward edge-0f the platform arearmed with knives, so that the sweep of the revolving-knives F gives a shear cut.

, When the stalks of coru a-re cut oft they do not fall down, but are carried backward upon the machine in'a' standing position by the action of the reel-arms E andthe revolving knives F, in'connection with the two sets of guides, I) audH. As the stalks escape from the knives-and the reel-arms they collect in an armful, held'by the rear end of-the guards. A man riding upon the platform P takes the corn from the guards and places it upon the platform P until a sufficient quack tit-y is thus accumulated to form a shock; Then the workman steps behind the machine,

pulls'out. the pins, and then seizing the endgate, K, pulls it out. This action draws the separate boards of the platform a short distance backward, and at the sametime lets the rear ends of the boards fall.-As-the boards aredrawn-baokward their forward ends slide from the cross-bar, being held only by the hooks L, when the boards instantly turn edgewise, thus allowing the'shock of corn to fall through the *platform to the ground in ,a standing or-jupright position". As the horse moves forward the boards of the platform are drawn from the shock of corn, when the end gatmK, may bereplaced and the plat-' formreatrran'ged to receive another shockoi.

corn. 7

The spring-guards D are adjustable to d'ffei'ent heights upon the standard M, being fixed; by means o'f' thumb-screws N. This standard-M is inclined outward toward the wheel A", in order to give room for the ears of corn to pass, and thus prevent the latter from being caught by the standard. I

"he forward axle of the machineisdivided, so that each wheei A may revolve independently of the other. The small platform 0 is hinged in front, sothat the rear or lower edge may better pass stones, stumps, 'or other obstacies.

The fingers G and the axlebox S (seen best in Fig. 3) ma y be cast in the same'piece with the hounds T; -Attached to the-rear part of the hounds is a-smali knife, It, for cutting-off an occasional stalkof'corn which 'r'uay be bent or broken so as to slide under the rear end ofthe'hounds, and thus,unless cut away, be liable tdchoke the machine. This knifeis best seen atR, Fig. 4.

My machine may be somewhat varied without departing from theprinciples of my invention.

Having thus 'fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

-l; The sectional platform P, arranged upon bination with the rear end-gate, for operation in the manner and for the purposespeoified. 2. The arrangement of the spring-guards!) and H and knife R, in combination with the cutting apparatus, as constructed and applied, and operating together in the manner and for the purpose specified.

Witnesses: ADAM HUMBERGER.

DANIEL BREED, EDM. F. Bnown.

theframe,and pivoted as described, in con),- 

